Definitive Martial Arts   Martial Arts Styles There are numerous reasons why people practice martial arts. Some train to learn how to protect themselves, others for physical fitness and mental discipline, or to be part of a fun, interactive social activity. We at DMA believe that there are increased benefits to studying mulitiple disciplines, to learn various aspects of martial arts. Although our foundation style is Goju Ryu karate, we offer a diverse program of martial arts to our students.   "A martial artist is an artist of life."   ~ Sensei Richard Kim   Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate The foundation of DMA is Okinawan Goju Ryu Karate. Karate is the study of defence using "empty hands". Simply put, karate incorporates punches, kicks, strikes and blocks for defence. Goju is the style of karate that we study here at DMA, it translates to "hard and soft", which are the basic concepts of our practice. The traditional karate that we study originated in Okinawa and although it was derived from the minds of a number of great martial artists, the Goju system was developed by Chojun Miyagi.   Jiu Jitsu & Grappling The origins and history of ju-jitsu are varied and scattered. There is no defined lineage or line of history that can be agreed upon. The ju-jitsu that we practice is a combination of systems, namely small circle ju-jitsu and aiki-jitsu, demonstrating self-defence techniques that incorparate the manipulation of joints to control an opponent. Our program also incorporates grappling or submission fighting to better defend oneself on the ground and in close quarters. Not only an excellent workout, our system of joint locks, takedowns, and submissions is applicable for self-defence as well as competition.   Kickboxing Guaranteed to make you sweat, the DMA kickboxing program is a cardio-based workout that incoporates techniques from western boxing, Muay Thai kicks, elbows and knees. This system relates well to the grappling and traditional karate providing students with a free-style method for practicing their punches and kicks.   Kobudo (Japanese Weaponry) We incorporate traditional Japanesse weapons into our martial arts program. The art of weaponary offers a window into the historic martial arts of Japan and Okinawa. By practicing basic defence with weapons, arranged weapon sequences (katas), and weapons sparring, students learn how to control and use weapons in their training. We train in a complete kobudo system using, bo, jo, tonbo, tonfa, sai, and kama.